The purpose of this study was to evaluate health beliefs and breast cancer screening
behaviors in female health workers in Turkey.
This descriptive study was conducted in
various health centers located in Erzurum, Turkey. The sample consisted of 268 female
health workers (physicians, n ¼ 51; nurses, n ¼ 169; and midwifes, n ¼ 48). Data were
collected by using a self-administered questionnaire and the Turkish version of Champion’s
Health Belief Model Scales (CHBMS). The mean age of participants was 31.31 (S.D. ¼ 6.89),
and 49.9% of them were married. It was found that only 21.9% of the female health workers
performed breast self-examination (BSE) regularly, and 12.5% of them had a mammogram.
Physicians’ health motivation and BSE self-efficacy perceptions were higher than the
nurses and midwifes. Susceptibility, health motivation to BSE, BSE benefits, BSE selfefficacy perceptions of female health workers who performed BSE were significantly higher
than those who did not, and a result indicating that positive health beliefs are effective in
stimulating performance of BSE of female health workers. Among the variables related
with mammography, only susceptibility perceptions of female health workers who had a
mammogram was significantly higher than those who had not had a mammogram.
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